The hot pot bubbled merrily in the private room.
Wen Tingxue ate her sliced meat with a good mood, completely unaware of the photos being taken.
Her only concern at the moment was Song You.
This meal was supposed to be just between her and senior Song.
But now…
The young woman sighed silently. With so many people present, it was hard to ask certain things directly.
While she was composing her thoughts, Fu Ran spoke up, "How's Sivan?"
Wen Tingxue paused her eating and quickly looked at Song You.
Song You smiled, "It's alright, better than I imagined. It's just…"
He curved his lips with a complex expression, "It's just not very suitable for me."
"Then go solo," Fu Ran put down his chopsticks and looked at him. "Didn't you always want to start a company? This is a great opportunity."
Song You lowered his gaze, twirling his glass, not responding.
"If you lack funds, I have them," Fu Ran raised an eyebrow.
"It's not that," Song You smiled faintly and shook his head.
Although he was always smiling, there was too much helplessness in that smile.
The people at the table exchanged confused glances.
If he wasn't short on money, nor resources or connections, what could be troubling him?
Fu Ran frowned, "Is it because of your brother?"
Song You's eyelashes trembled, a rare flicker of emotion showing.
At least, Wen Tingxue had never seen him like this.
Fu Ran sighed in frustration, "I can't believe it. He's abroad now and won't be back anytime soon. What are you afraid of? If anything, I'll back you up."
Song You was silent for a while before saying, "He will come back eventually."
Fu Ran raised an eyebrow noncommittally, "I heard he got involved with a female celebrity abroad, it caused quite a stir. What a good opportunity."
The Song family had few heirs, only two.
If Song You wanted to compete, now was the best time.
"Let's talk about it later," Song You didn't take the bait and even changed the subject, "Have you found a place for the sketching trip yet?"
According to the rules of the art academy, first-year and second-year students would organize an outdoor sketching trip.
However, in recent years, the sketching locations had lost their appeal, and the school was looking for two new places.
Fu Ran shook his head, "Not yet. Why? Do you have a recommendation?"
"An outdoor sketching trip?" Qiao Hui, who had been silent, suddenly chimed in.
Fu Ran finally noticed her, paused for a few seconds, and nodded.
Perhaps it was the demeanor cultivated by her family, but when Fu Ran stared at someone without speaking, he could be quite imposing.
Qiao Hui was not intimidated. On the contrary, she was pleased.
"You can consider coming to our place! It's full of green hills and clear waters, perfect for painting."
Fu Ran's interest piqued slightly, "Where is it?"
"Xing'an Village, Lingxi!" she immediately reported the address.
When Song You searched, the moment the images popped up, he felt a pleasant surprise, as if finding a treasure.
"It's a very rustic village, worth considering."
He handed his phone to Fu Ran.
Upon receiving his approval, Qiao Hui's smile widened.
"It's not boasting, but my hometown is truly beautiful, especially at sunset, when the autumn water blends with the vast sky! Of course, if you don't mind poverty and backwardness."
Fu Ran smiled, satisfied, "We don't mind. That's exactly the kind of feeling we're looking for. I'll report it to the school tomorrow, and after the teachers inspect it, it should be decided."
While Xu Kexin was watching videos, Lu Youran quietly asked, "Is she… with that handsome guy?"
Wen Tingxue almost blurted out 'a couple,' but then felt it wasn't quite appropriate.
So she added 'sort of' before it.
Lu Youran nodded in understanding, "They're in the ambiguous phase, huh? Then you guys need to pay attention. As far as I know, this guy is quite popular. But speaking of which, is Jiangcheng a breeding ground for handsome guys?! How can they all be so good-looking!"
"…" Wen Tingxue was silent for a second, then reminded, "He's the keyboardist in the band, don't you remember?"
Lu Youran blinked awkwardly and explained, "When the band was popular, everyone was only focused on your man, who had time to look at the keyboardist?"
"…" Wen Tingxue remained silent.
"Besides, he and the bassist were really low-key. They wore hats the whole time during the live stream. Not many people have seen their faces."
Wen Tingxue recalled that when they first went to the bar, they were indeed wearing hats the entire time, seemingly not wanting to reveal themselves.
After returning the phone to Lu Youran, Lu Youran tactfully turned her head to play with her phone.
Fu Ran had held back for a long time and finally had a chance to speak to her, "Do you play games? We can take you with us."
He gestured to himself and Song You.
Song You: "…"
Wen Tingxue asked Xu Kexin, "Did you know about him being a model?"
Xu Kexin shook her head, "We haven't seen each other much lately, and we don't chat much online."
"Alas," Wen Tingxue sighed, "When Brother Duolun told me, I should have given you a heads-up."
After arriving in the capital, she was busy with her studies and various other things, and didn't have time for part-time jobs.
Duolun was her agent. He had called her a few times, and after confirming she had no time, he said he was going to sign Xing Jiahe.
At the time, she thought he was just boasting, as Xing Jiahe was introverted and wouldn't easily venture into modeling.
Moreover, even if he were interested, the club might not agree. She never expected…
"It's nothing," Xu Kexin smiled, "I believe he has his reasons for not telling me."
Wen Tingxue nodded, and after a moment, remembering Lu Youran's words, she still felt uneasy.
"Why don't you talk to him about it? You guys aren't officially together, what if something really happens?
"Don't blame me for being alarmist, he's a popular model now, and soon, he might be the hottest e-sports player. You guys…"
Before Wen Tingxue could finish, Xu Kexin smiled and interrupted, "See the tie clip on his tie? I gave it to him.
"I believe that some relationships in this world are worth waiting for and don't require worldly constraints."
…
As Wen Tingxue walked out of the private room, her phone suddenly rang.
She originally planned to ignore it, but something compelled her to take it out and look.
Yu Wenli: [Where are you?]
Wen Tingxue's heart skipped a beat.
No way.
He didn't find out, did he?
With a stubbornness that wouldn't admit defeat until facing the inevitable, Wen Tingxue replied: [In the studio, what's up?]
Yu Wenli directly sent three photos.
Wen Tingxue instantly felt her heart stop.
It's over.
She was caught red-handed.
Just as she was racking her brain for an explanation, another WeChat message came in: [Come down, I'm at the entrance.]
"…"
Wen Tingxue looked at the stairs. This wasn't a path, it was the road to damnation.